After repelling the Black Raven mages, outmaneuvering the Holy Sword Mountains group, and defeating the Gloomy Withered Willow, Alaric finally succeeded in recruiting Thor as his first personal disciple. Seeing the boy follow obediently behind him, Alaric felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Leaving Oakwood behind, they set out toward Silvermoon City—where another potential prodigy, Soren, awaited.
The journey took them through dense, primeval forest. Giant trees blocked the sky; rotting leaves and wet mud formed treacherous swamps. Oversized insects swarmed, and venomous snakes lurked among the vines.
Alaric knew traversing these woods alone would be risky, but Thor—though not yet four—had grown up in the mountains and knew the wilderness well. With the boy leading the way, Alaric took the chance to check the Supreme Faction Leader System.
With Thor officially recruited, a new [Disciples] tab had appeared. Only one name was listed:
Name: Thor Stone
Age: 3 years, 7 months
Cultivation: Mid Qi Refining Stage
Talent: Spiritual Root—10; Comprehension—8; Willpower—8; Luck—8
Note: Physical strength far exceeds ordinary Mid Qi Refining mages
Recommended Path: Thunder-based cultivation. Combat style should balance spells and close-quarters combat
Perfect, Alaric thought. I can teach him the Nine Heavens Thunder Canon.
He then opened the lottery section—recruiting Thor had earned him one draw.
Disappointingly, most items on offer were mediocre. His best hope was the mysterious chest—last time, it had given him the Northrend Meteor-Iron Thunderblade.
He selected the roulette wheel: eighteen segments, fifteen with items, one with the chest, two blank.
Land on the chest. Start!
The pointer began to spin.
It slowed after two rotations. Alaric watched intently as it passed a Flame Blade (decent for his level) and a Demon-Suppressing Talisman (useful but single-use). Both were worth hundreds of points, but neither compared to the chest.
Keep going… he urged silently.
The pointer trembled near the talisman, then crept forward—only to overshoot the chest and land on Soul-Soothing Grass.
Annoyed, Alaric took the grass. Something about it felt significant. He quickly looked up Soul-Anchoring Elixir in the exchange:
Soul-Anchoring Elixir: Useless to the living, but stabilizes disembodied souls, allowing them to travel under sunlight and over great distances without dissipating. Soul-Soothing Grass is its main ingredient—extremely rare.
Puzzled but intrigued, he stored the grass safely.
Next, he browsed the exchange. The 500 points from recruiting Thor were more than his initial gift pack. He needed a combat skill.
With the Nine Heavens Thunder Canon and the Thunderblade, he lacked flexibility in battle. Thunder Invocation was powerful but required setup—useless in sudden fights.
He settled on Cloud Dragon Evasion—a branch of the greater Dragon Evasion technique. It allowed short-range teleportation and agile dodging, the user stepping on thunder currents as if treading clouds. Highly practical.
Exiting the system, he found Thor watching him eagerly. "When can I learn thunder techniques, sir?"
Alaric smiled and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry. You're my first disciple. I haven't forgotten."
"I don't want to be the first disciple," Thor said unexpectedly. "I want to be the smallest."
Puzzled, Alaric asked, "Why? Seniority brings authority."
Thor shuffled his feet. "In our village, the youngest is always cared for the most. Everyone spoiled me."
Alaric laughed. "That's not how the world works. In some places, the smallest gets bullied. If you stay at the bottom, others might order you to fetch water or scrub floors. You sure?"
Thor grinned and swung Alaric's hand. "I'll fetch your water, scrub your floors, and massage your shoulders. I'll be so good—and you'll protect me—no one will dare trouble me."
Alaric looked down at the clever, smiling boy and finally chuckled. "You little…"
Thor beamed innocently up at him.
✅ SYSTEM:
Faction Points: 750
New Objective: Train [Thor Stone] in foundational thunder cultivation.
Note: Item [Soul-Soothing Grass] acquired. Purpose unclear—recommend further investigation.